Self Publish Your First Book

 The famous American writer Donald Westlake talked about publishing novels and stated that “all of the changes in publishing since 1960 are significant. There are far fewer publishers.” The reason that there are far fewer publishers today than back in the 1960’s is because people now are taking the initiative and learning how to self-publish their own books.

Self publishing isn’t difficult to do. However, to do it successfully there are a few essential tips that you should know.

1.       1.  Know what you’re doing. Educate yourself on the topic of self publishing to the point where you are an expert on it. Publishing novels, even if just for yourself, is a complex business, so you must treat it as such.

2.       2. Create a magnetic title. Especially if this is the first book you are writing, you want to make sure that it will stand above all the rest, so that people will want to read it. A catchy title is the very first thing that attracts readers.

3.       3. Include all the vital components. When it comes to creating your book, you must include all of the vital components. All books need an ISBN, LCCN, EAN Scanning Symbols, subject categories on the back cover, etc.

4.      4.  Make your cover dynamic. The cover of your book is one of the best selling points for your novel. You want to make sure that the cover design for your book looks and feels professional and worth picking up. There is a lot of competition out there so take the time and spend the money to get it done right.

5.       5. Print with book manufacturers or online quality print shops. Your neighborhood printer may not have the knowledge or technical capabilities to turn out a quality book. When it comes to self publishing your first book, you cannot afford to cut any corners. Book manufacturers specialize in this type of printing and can save you enormous grief and considerable money by having it done right. And they are far cheaper, faster, and more convenient than established publishing houses.

6.       6. Spread the Word. After you have officially self published your book, publicize it! Tell everyone all about it. Utilize social networking and make sure that everyone knows about your “must read.” You won’t make any sales if no one knows about it, so publish, then publicize.

Self publishing your first book is a great way to get started as a first-time author. If you use these few key standards to publish your novel, your probability for success will increase substantially.